Government has to provide further assistance to cannabis job creation initiatives if cannabis reform is to succeed, but what would really do the trick and make it easier for entrepreneurs in rural areas would be a clear regulatory framework.

That’s the view of Dr Ncebakazi Galada, CEO of the Township Cannabis Incubator which recently showcased five of its SMME’s at the recent Cannabis Expo.

The Township Cannabis Incubator is making a grassroots impact on the Eastern Cape’s rural cannabis sector having nurtured 18 SMME’s into market-readiness over the past two years. More recently it showcased five small businesses from the province at the Gauteng Cannabis Expo as part of its drive to empower township entrepreneurs in the cannabis space.

Dr Galada believes there is a treasure trove of product potential lying within Traditional Knowledge Systems (TKS) and that one of the her missions in live is to bring this to the surface. She told Cannabiz Africa on 20 June 2025 that one of the TCI’s main roles was to providing strategic business development support to SMMEs specialising in medicinal cannabis, cannabis cosmetics and associated biomaterials.

She says that TCI has never really needed to help with initial product development as most of the ‘incubatees’ already have developed their products, with indigenous knowledge playing no small part in that expertise. TCI’s role thus far has been to assist the small businesses with much-needed exposure and access to markets and she emphasises how product development is the key to creating new cannabis entrepreneurs.

TCI started incubating SMMEs in 2023, engaging stakeholders and creating awareness about the market. Dr Galada lists ideation and assistance with navigating regulatory hurdles as well as product research among the services TCI renders.

The TCI database now carries some of the best known SMMEs in the cannabis industry, including Village Divah Organics, Bobo Remedys, Abednigos, Linx Business Solutions, Mile Stylish Design and Dozi, based in such locations as Mthatha, Port St Johns, Qumbu and Lusikisiki.

Most of the entities specialise in cosmetics with only a select few into medicinal cannabis, including Bobo Remedys, which produces cannabidiol for anxiety relief and managing general and joint muscle pain and Abednigo’s which has a range of medicinal herbal juices for treating diabetes, hypertension, menstruation and abdominal pain, among others.

TCI also ensures that products released on to the market are of a high quality and has “helped with research to ensure products are of good quality and cannot cause harm to humans and animals”.

It has established strategic partnerships with various organisations, leveraging the research support component of Walter Sisulu University, with which it has a Memorandum of Agreement. Other leading partners are the Department of Small Business Development, Small Enterprises Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA) and Cheeba Academy, with which it is looking to finalise a long-term agreement.

“We’re working on a joint agreement; essentially whenever there are training needs they will come on board so that our entrepreneurs can have accredited skills,” Dr Galada states, noting that Cheeba has the expertise to assist entrepreneurs gain a deeper understanding of their landrace strains.

The partnership also resulted in Cheeba as hosts of the Cannabis Summit (that was part of the Cannabis Expo) inviting Village Divah Organics as a participating speaking stakeholder.

With thousands of employment opportunities across the value chain waiting to be unlocked, innovation and strategic support are indispensable tools in an extremely variegated industry whose optimum has yet to be matched by a corresponding regulatory framework.

Dr Galada believes licences to cultivate and manufacture cannabis are still too exorbitant for the average prospective stakeholder and laments that existing regulations have proven too complex for indigenous growers.

Also problematic is the contradiction arising from the fact that recreational personal use has been legalised while trade remains onerously restricted.

“Government should provide clear regulations that are easy to implement so that people can be able to trade,” she says, citing the flourishing black market as a direct consequences of that.

“We want to support entrepreneurs that are compliant.” Even so, over-regulation would be something to guard against as it equally can have detrimental effects, she says.

Infrastructure has been another challenge with growers in areas such as Bizana poorly serviced and the growth of incubation necessitates the establishment of satellite hubs closer to growers, to assist with product development among other required services.

The Doctor believes the cannabis economy can be positioned to make a real difference in numerous areas, contributing to employment opportunities, helping fight climate change and generating biofuels, at a time efforts are ongoing to find enduring and more lasting energy solutions.

Dr Galada also hopes that the government “can understand these opportunities and take decisions” so that people can be assisted to attain economic emancipation. Anyone would agree that with the unemployment time bomb ticking, this indeed is advice worth heeding.

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